1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns decontaminated biological material, especially liquids, and a method for decontaminating biological material, especially biological liquids.
2. Description of the Related Art
In numerous fields of research and development as well as in industrial and professional fields serum, especially calf serum and fetal calf serum, is used. This serum is employed in cell cultures for cultivating human and animal cells. Furthermore it is used during the preparation of proteins and similar pharmaceutical products, which are prepared by means of cell cultures of fused cells originated from humans or animals, some cases originated from insects also.
The term biological material or biological liquid, respectively, means material or liquid, respectively, derived from biological origin.
The quality of such serum depends on its ingredients; for example, insulin and transferrin are of special importance.
Serum, especially calf serum and fetal calf serum, is sensitive to heat especially concerning important biological components.
In consequence it is not possible, for example, to obtain a decontamination of these biological materials by increasing temperature or by making the serum hot, respectively.
Such decontamination is necessary especially for inactivating viruses, as for instance foot and mouth virus, retroviruses, for instance HIV virus or related viruses, as well as other susceptible infectious agents.
For inactivation it does not suffice for instance to perform a so called "pasteurization" at 60.degree. C. Also it is not possible, to perform a biological decontamination in a satisfactory manner by heating over this pasteurizing temperature, for example by heating at 65.degree. C. for two times half an hour. These denaturing condition cause changes of biological activity, based for instance on a depolymerization of aggregates and a denaturing of proteins.
Concerning the methods in the prior art it is worthwhile to mention in particular the biological decontamination by X-ray radiation, especially the inactivation of viruses. In this connection, see the reference "Canadian Journal of comparative Medicine", 45:397-399 (1981).
The radiation of biological material for destruction of viruses with the required high doses is injurious to the quality of the biological material.
Also the chemical agents, employed for biological decontamination especially for inactivation of viruses for instance Ethylenoxid, cause in some cases an insufficient decontamination on the one hand and on the other hand a prejudice of the biological material.
"A prejudice of the biological material" means, for instance, a prejudice (adverse effect on) the promotion of cell growth, which prejudice occurs by reason of the above described methods of altering components.
Consequently, the methods in the prior art for biological decontamination of biological material, especially biological liquids, have the disadvantages of insufficient efficiency and /or of prejudices of the quality of the biological material or its components, respectively.